John Bockris

John O'Mara Bockris (born January 5, 1923, in South Africa) is a former professor of Chemistry at Texas A&M University whose unorthodox views have provoked controversy. He has authored or edited more than 600 papers and 15 books in the field of electrochemistry, some of them commonly used in college. [S. Krivit, N. Winocur, "The rebirth of cold fusion", Pacific Oak Press, 2004, page 179] In the 1980s, he experimented with cold fusion.

Early breakthroughs

John Bockris earned his bachelor's degree in chemistry at the University of London in 1943 and his Ph.D. at London's Imperial College in 1945 at age 22. [S. Krivit, N. Winocur, "The rebirth of cold fusion", Pacific Oak Press, 2004, page 178]

In 1970, Bockris, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said he had found the a method for using sunlight to free hydrogen from water and coined the term "hydrogen economy" to describe the application of the anticipated technology. In 1975 he published Energy The Solar-Hydrogen Alternative [1975 Energy The Solar-Hydrogen Alternative - ISBN 0470084294] . In 1982, at Texas A&M, he announced a "quantum leap" in his hydrogen-fuel technology through a "secret catalyst" that split water into hydrogen and oxygen even without the energy of sunlight. In 1984, he said he had found a material that facilitated complete conversion of sunlight to electricity.Brian Wallstin, [http://houstonpress.com/1994-04-07/news/aggie-alchemy/1 "Aggie Alchemy: John Bockris was known around Texas A&M as a chemist interested in "weird science." Joe Champion gave him all he could handle."] , "Houston Press", April 7, 1994]

Cold fusion

Bockris experimented in cold fusion at the time of the 1988 Pons and Fleischmann affair. Bockris' research group was one of the few to report results that matched those of Pons and Fleischmann. They were the first to report tritium production in similar experiments. [ Packham, N.J.C., et al., [http://www.lenr-canr.org/acrobat/PackhamNJCproduction.pdf Production of tritium from D2O electrolysis at a palladium cathode] . J. Electroanal. Chem., 1989. 270: p. 451., cited by Storms, "Science of Low Energy Nuclear Reaction: A Comprehensive Compilation of Evidence and Explanations", page 82, 2007, Singapore: World Scientific, ISBN 9-8127062-0-8.] Gary Taubes wrote an editorial in Science suggesting that their cells might have been spiked with tritiated water. [citation|last=Taubes|first=Gary
title=Cold fusion conundrum at Texas A&M
journal=Science|issue=15 June 1990|pages=1299|year=1990, cited by [http://www.newenergytimes.com/Reports/Start.htm#tritium New Energy Times] ] A 3-professor panel of Texas A&M later found that none of the experiments were fraudulently conducted, saying that spiking was unlikely because scientists got different results when they tested the spiking theory by intentionally putting tritium in water. [citation|last=New York Times
title=Texas Panel Finds No Fraud In Cold Fusion Experiments
journal=New York Times|year=1990|issue=November 20, 1990
url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9C0CE1DA143EF933A15752C1A966958260
accessdate = 2009-09-24 ] [citation|last=Storms
title=Storms' letter to Science
journal=New Energy Times|year=1990
url=http://newenergytimes.com/Bockris/StormsLetterToScience.htm
accessdate = 2009-09-29 ] Since then, many other scientists have reported similar results. [Storms, Edmund (2007), Science of Low Energy Nuclear Reaction: A Comprehensive Compilation of Evidence and Explanations, pages 79-83, Singapore: World Scientific, ISBN 9-8127062-0-8 ] John Bockris later published his side of the controversy and a defense of academic freedom in "Accountability in Research". [ Bockris, J., [http://www.lenr-canr.org/acrobat/BockrisJaccountabi.pdf Accountability and academic freedom: The battle concerning research on cold fusion at Texas A&M University] . Accountability Res., 2000. 8: p. 103., cited by [http://www.newenergytimes.com/Reports/Start.htm#tritium New Energy Times] ]

Transmutation

In 1993, Bockris began experiments in the transmutation of elements, also called alchemy. Bockris got a lot of press for these efforts, and other chemists at Texas A&M felt that their reputations were being sullied by the connection. An editorial by Mike Epstein in the Journal of Scientific Exploration describes what happened next:

:A petition signed by 23 of the 28 distinguished professors at Texas A&M called on the university provost to strip Bockris of his title as distinguished professor. The petition follows a letter written by 11 full professors in the chemistry department (out of the department's 38 full professors) calling on Bockris to resign and remove the "shadow" he has cast over the department. The petition from the distinguished professors said "For a trained scientist to claim, or support anyone else's claim to have transmuted elements is difficult for us to believe and is no more acceptable than to claim to have invented a gravity shield, revived the dead or to be mining green cheese on the moon. We believe that Bockris' recent activities have made the terms 'Texas A&M' and 'Aggie' objects of derisive laughter throughout the world..." [ [http://www.mikeepstein.com/path/free.html "Academic Freedom or Scientific Misconduct?"] , editorial by Mike Epstein, Journal of Scientific Exploration]

His conclusion was a defense of academic freedom: [ [http://www.mikeepstein.com/path/free.html "Academic Freedom or Scientific Misconduct?"] , editorial by Mike Epstein, Journal of Scientific Exploration]

:However, I would remind those who seek his ouster or demotion that their actions threaten the core of academic freedom. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof, but no one should be punished for attempting to provide that proof. (Note: Dr. Bockris was eventually found by a four-professor panel to be NOT GUILTY of violating Texas A&M standards in proposing, conducting or reporting controversial research.)

The petition failed to bring change and Bockris kept his job.

He won the 1997 Ig Nobel Prize in Physics. [William J. Cromie, [http://www.hno.harvard.edu/gazette/1997/10.16/IgnominiousIgNo.html "Ignominious Ig Nobels Ignite Hilarity at Harvard"] , "Harvard University Gazette", October 16, 1997]

Bockris subsequently retired.

ee also

*Timeline of hydrogen technologies

References

ources

*LingaFranca.com, November 9 2000
*Bryan-College Station Eagle, 15 April 1997
*Bad Science: The Short Life and Weird Times of Cold Fusion, 1993
*Journal of Scientific Exploration, Vol 8/1, 1994
*Robert Pool. 1993. Alchemy altercation at Texas A&M. Science 262:1367.